Calcium analysis and sensory evaluation of amaranth-enriched corn tortillas

Tortillas represent 67% of the daily calories consumed in some countries. Increasing lime level for soaking corn and adding amaranth (high-calcium, high-protein) to tortillas should improve nutritional value. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the nutritive content and sensory acceptability of amaranth-enriched corn tortillas. Corn (yellow or white) was soaked for 24 hr in limewater (1, 2, or 3% corn weight basis), ground with a stone grinder, formed into masa balls containing 0, 15, or 30% amaranth, pressed into tortillas with a hydraulic laboratory press, and baked on a griddle (236°C). Judges (25) evaluated texture, color, flavor, and overall acceptability of tortillas on 9-point hedonic scales (9=like extremely) in a laboratory study. Panelists (28) also evaluated texture, color, flavor, and overall acceptability of a laboratory-produced and a commercially-produced tortilla in a home placement study. Proximate composition and calcium levels were determined. All data were analyzed by ANOVA. Texture acceptability increased as lime level increased but was not affected by amaranth level or corn cultivar. Color acceptability decreased as lime level and amaranth level increased. Flavor acceptability was not affected by amaranth level but decreased as lime level increased. Overall acceptability of the tortillas increased with lime level but was not affected by amaranth. Yellow corn tortillas were more acceptable than white corn tortillas for all attributes except texture. No significant differences were found between the acceptability of the laboratory produced and the commercially-produced tortilla. Tortilla moisture increased as lime increased and as amaranth decreased. Fat content was approximately 7% (dry matter basis) and did not vary with treatment. Protein increased with amaranth content and was higher for white corn tortillas. The pH increased as lime level increased but was not affected by amaranth level or corn cultivar. Ash increased with lime level and amaranth level and was significantly higher in white corn. Experimental methodology made it hard to accurately measure the contribution of the amaranth to the calcium levels of the tortillas. However, an interaction between amaranth and lime for calcium indicated that amaranth might contribute to calcium content in low-lime (\u3c 1%) tortillas

predictive precision medicine towards the computational challenge

The emerging fields of predictive and precision medicine are changing the traditional medical approach to disease and patient. Current discoveries in medicine enable to deepen the comprehension of diseases, whereas the adoption of high-quality methods such as novel imaging techniques (e.g. MRI, PET) and computational approaches (i.e. machine learning) to analyse data allows researchers to have meaningful clinical and statistical information. Indeed, applications of radiology techniques and machine learning algorithms rose in the last years to study neurology, cardiology and oncology conditions. In this chapter, we will provide an overview on predictive precision medicine that uses artificial intelligence to analyse medical images to enhance diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of diseases. In particular, the chapter will focus on neurodegenerative disorders that are one of the main fields of application. Despite some critical issues of this new approach, adopting a patient-centred approach could bring remarkable improvement on individual, social and business level

Developmental and crosslinking factors related to low protein digestibility of sorghum grain

The overall goal of this research was to elucidate the cause of poor protein digestibility in sorghum grain. Protein digestibility in sorghum decreases throughout seed development. Changes that occur in sorghum proteins during development were studied. Digestibility decrease was more strongly related to decrease in moisture content of the seed than developmental stage. However, artificial environment studies revealed that digestibility decrease during seed development cannot be attributed only to moisture loss. Highly digestible free protein body content decreased during development, while content of aggregated protein bodies, that exhibited decreased digestibility after cooking, increased. Quantitation of $\alpha$-, $\beta$-, and $\gamma$-kafirins revealed that free protein bodies are immature protein bodies. Kafirin quantitation revealed that $\gamma$- and $\beta$-kafirin synthesis is completed prior to $\alpha$-kafirin synthesis. This is a new view of sorghum protein body development and is in agreement with proposed models for maize protein body development. Sequential extraction of aggregated protein body fractions with various reducing agent concentrations showed that disulfide crosslinking increases throughout seed development. Protein digestibility in sorghum has been shown to vary from year to year and among genotypes. A high molecular weight (HMW) protein was found in our laboratory in sorghum and evidence indicates that it is associated with the kafirins. Quantitation of HMW protein in six samples with year-to-year differences in digestibility and in seven different genotypes revealed no observable relationship between amount of HMW protein and digestibility. Additionally, no relationship between digestibility and protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) content, an enzyme that catalyzes the formation of disulfide bonds, was found from quantitation of PDI in samples with year-to-year differences in digestibility. Although crosslinking of $\gamma$- and $\beta$-kafirins has been shown to reduce protein digestibility, year-to-year differences in digestibility could not be related to differences in $\alpha$-, $\beta$-, or $\gamma$-kafirin amount. Sequential extraction of the samples exhibiting year-to-year differences in digestibility with increasing concentrations of reducing agent did reveal a negative relationship between amount of easily-accessible $\gamma$-kafirin (extractable with 0.001% 2-mercaptoethanol) and digestibility. This indicates that digestibility may be a function of the amount of $\gamma$-kafirin disulfide crosslinks that can be easily accessed by digestive enzymes

Intact extracellular matrix and the maintenance of immune tolerance: high molecular weight hyaluronan promotes persistence of induced CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells

The composition of the ECM provides contextual cues to leukocytes in inflamed and healing tissues. One example of this is HA, where LMW-HA, generated during active inflammation, is a TLR ligand and an endogenous “danger signal,” and HMW-HA, predominant in healing or intact tissues, functions in an inverse manner. Our data suggest that HMW-HA actively promotes immune tolerance by augmenting CD4+CD25+ TReg function, and LMW-HA does not. Using a human iTReg model, we demonstrate that HMW-HA but not LMW-HA provides a costimulatory signal through cross-linking CD44 which promotes Foxp3 expression, a critical signaling molecule associated with TReg. This effect, in part, may be mediated by a role for intact HMW-HA in IL-2 production, as TReg are highly IL-2-dependent for their survival and function. We propose that HMW-HA contributes to the maintenance of immune homeostasis in uninjured tissue and effectively communicates an “all-clear” signal to down-regulate the adaptive immune system through TReg after tissue matrix integrity has been restored

Time to Peak Glucose and Peak C-Peptide During the Progression to Type 1 Diabetes in the Diabetes Prevention Trial and TrialNet Cohorts

OBJECTIVE To assess the progression of type 1 diabetes using time to peak glucose or C-peptide during oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) in autoantibody-positive relatives of people with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We examined 2-h OGTTs of participants in the Diabetes Prevention Trial Type 1 (DPT-1) and TrialNet Pathway to Prevention (PTP) studies. We included 706 DPT-1 participants (mean ± SD age, 13.84 ± 9.53 years; BMI Z-score, 0.33 ± 1.07; 56.1% male) and 3,720 PTP participants (age, 16.01 ± 12.33 years; BMI Z-score, 0.66 ± 1.3; 49.7% male). Log-rank testing and Cox regression analyses with adjustments (age, sex, race, BMI Z-score, HOMA-insulin resistance, and peak glucose/C-peptide levels, respectively) were performed. RESULTS In each of DPT-1 and PTP, higher 5-year diabetes progression risk was seen in those with time to peak glucose >30 min and time to peak C-peptide >60 min (P < 0.001 for all groups), before and after adjustments. In models examining strength of association with diabetes development, associations were greater for time to peak C-peptide versus peak C-peptide value (DPT-1: χ2 = 25.76 vs. χ2 = 8.62; PTP: χ2 = 149.19 vs. χ2 = 79.98; all P < 0.001). Changes in the percentage of individuals with delayed glucose and/or C-peptide peaks were noted over time. CONCLUSIONS In two independent at-risk populations, we show that those with delayed OGTT peak times for glucose or C-peptide are at higher risk of diabetes development within 5 years, independent of peak levels. Moreover, time to peak C-peptide appears more predictive than the peak level, suggesting its potential use as a specific biomarker for diabetes progression